2022 Editor's Choice Walking
Best UK hotels for walking and hiking
The Castle Hotel
Bishop’s Castle
On the Shropshire Way, and close to the Offa’s Dyke Path, The Castle makes a superb base for walkers. It has drying and boot-cleaning facilities and can supply packed lunches as well as details of scenic walks right from the hotel door.
Lastingham Grange
Lastingham
After a day on the North York Moors, return to this former farmhouse to have wet clothes whisked away and to tuck into a well-earned five-course dinner. There’s a scenic five-mile walk from the door to the village of Hutton le Hole.
Hazel Bank
Keswick
In pretty Borrowdale, this country house has a number of interesting walks from the door, taking in the massive Bowder Stone monolith, the Borrowdale yews celebrated in Wordsworth’s poem and the tarn where Wainwright’s ashes are scattered.
Sheedy’s
Lisdoonvarna
Midway along the Wild Atlantic Way, and not far from the Cliffs of Moher, this old farmhouse is also on the edge of the Burren’s dramatic karst landscape. You can explore it on your own or book a walking package with a local guide.
Glenfinnan House Hotel
Fort William
It’s a ten-minute walk through the deer-studded estate to the Glenfinnan viaduct railway bridge of Harry Potter
fame. Don’t stop there, though – there’s everything from easy hikes to munro bagging on offer in the surrounding countryside.
The Gurnard’s Head
St Ives
Follow the coastal path in either direction from this dog-friendly pub. Head west to Land’s End, past Botallack tin mine, of Poldark fame, or hike for four hours in the other direction to St Ives before returning to the comfort of the inn.
Grove of Narberth
Narberth
Walking trails weave through The Grove’s 28-acre grounds, while footpaths criss- cross the surrounding countryside. Hike to a deserted Welsh chapel or an ancient settlement on a nearby hill, or take longer treks in the Narberth valley.
Dunkery Beacon Country House
Wootton Courtenay
A three-hour round trip from the door of this Exmoor hotel takes you to the beacon of the same name, which at 519 metres marks the national park’s highest point. The hotel has a drying room, a supply of maps and plenty of walk recommendations.
St Aidan Hotel & Bistro
Seahouses
Among the coastal walks near this hotel is the three-mile yomp up the beach from Seahouses all the way to Bamburgh, with its castle. Staff can advise you on routes, and the bistro is a good place to refuel after a day’s exploring.
The Star
Polegate
Borrow wellies or sun hats from the Polizzis’ latest pad and hike along the pretty Cuckmere valley and to the undulating chalk cliffs of the Seven Sisters. In the South Downs national park, the dog-friendly hotel is surrounded by scenic walks.
2021 Editor's Choice Walking
Best UK hotels for walking and hiking
The Peacock at Rowsley
Rowsley
The Peak District national park is on your doorstep here, and staff will recommend
a wide range of walks. Try the eight-mile round-trip to Chatsworth House along the River Derwent, stopping for a pint at the Red Lion in Bakewell en route.
Pen-y-Dyffryn
Oswestry
Walking holidays are a speciality here, thanks to the hotel’s blessed situation amid the hills and footpaths of the Welsh Borders. You can do 30-minute strolls to full-day treks. Offa’s Dyke long-distance trail is less than a mile away.
The White Horse
Brancaster Staithe
Walk to the end of the garden of this family-run hotel, and you’ll find the Norfolk Coast Path, with its miles of beach, marshland, bridleways, quiet country lanes, abundant birdlife and enormous skies.
The Bell at Skenfrith
Skenfrith
Six circular walks, taking in glorious Monmouthshire countryside, start from the Bell’s front door; staff provide illustrated guides charting the route, history and wildlife of each one. In summer, you can order a picnic to take with you.
Moor of Rannoch-Restaurant & Rooms
Rannoch Station
There’s no TV, radio, Wi-Fi or mobile signal here – just miles of moorland sometimes described as Britain’s last great wilderness. By turns desolate and uplifting, it has been lauded by writers from William Wordsworth to Robert Macfarlane.
The Rock Inn
Newton Abbot
There is no shortage of beautiful walks from the front door of this cosy inn through Dartmoor’s huge spaces, and staff will provide plenty of detailed information on them. South Devon and the Coast Path are a short drive away.
Blue Hayes
St Ives
The gardens at this glamorous, sun-soaked hotel on Porthminster Point lead on to the South West Coast Path – ideal for walks that will conveniently take you past many foodie and cultural points of interest, such as Tate St Ives.
Lorum Old Rectory
Bagenalstown
The Blackstairs mountains and South Leinster Way are a short stroll from this country house, as is the Barrow Navigation Towpath. Curracloe beach, where the D-Day scenes of Saving Private Ryan were filmed, is an hour’s drive away.
Ael y Bryn
Crymych
Pembrokeshire’s dramatic coastal paths and the Preseli hills are waiting to be discovered on foot from this friendly, adults-only B&B. On your return there is a drying room for muddy clothes, and pre- arranged evening meals.
Forest Side
Grasmere
Just ten minutes on foot from Grasmere, this is an idyllic spot for walkers of all abilities, from ramblers to serious hikers. Luxury rooms and a Michelin-starred restaurant will do wonders for aching feet and hungry tummies on your return.
2020 Editor's Choice Walking
Best UK hotels for walking and hiking
The Traddock
Austwick
Guide books, maps and a packed lunch can be supplied at the Reynoldses’ Dales hotel. Whether you’re up for the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge or a stroll in the Forest of Bowland, you can reward yourself on your return with afternoon tea in the lounge.
Pendragon Country House
Camelford
Whether you choose to follow the Coastal Path or stride out on Bodmin Moor from Sharon and Nigel Reed’s small hotel, they will provide a pick-up-and-drop-off service. Set off with a superb breakfast under your belt.
Biggin Hall
Buxton
Help yourself to a complimentary packed lunch before setting off from James Moffett’s manor house hotel to explore the Peak District, discover Dovedale, perhaps to follow the old railway track bed of the Tissington and High Peaks Trails.
Ees Wyke Country House
Ambleside
Wherever you walk around here, you find yourself in the footsteps of Beatrix Potter, who spent family holidays at this country house, now run as a hotel by Richard Lee. Her farmhouse, Hill Top, is nearby. A newly opened path runs by Esthwaite Water to Hawkshead.
Tudor Farmhouse
Clearwell
Guests can roam 14 acres of ancient grassland without even leaving the property at Hari and Colin Fell’s boutique hotel, but the Forest of Dean beckons, with its four-mile sculpture trail. Ask for information and guides.
Sheedy’s
Lisdoonvarna
The Wild Atlantic Way, the Cliffs of Moher and the eerie karst moonscape of the Burren are on the doorstep of this 18th-century mansion. Hosts Martina and John Sheedy are happy to share their local knowledge and provide maps.
The Gurnard’s Head
St Ives
The Inkin brothers’ dining pub is a popular watering hole for hikers on the Coastal Path. Set out from here to explore cliffs and coves, see seals basking on the Carracks, discover the farm source of Moormaid of Zennor ice cream.
Dolffanog Fawr
Tywyn
Guests wishing to tackle the Cadair range can request a lift from Alex Yorke and Lorraine Hinkins’s Snowdonia guest house and walk back. There are forest, river and mountain walks, a hot tub for a soak on your return.
Knockendarroch Hotel
Pitlochry
More than 40 miles of signed routes around Pitlochry lead through woodland, along the loch side, by river and burn, to the Linn of Tummel waterfall, to Scotland’s smallest distillery. Struan and Louise Lothian, hosts at this hotel, are happy to advise.
Llanthony Priory Hotel
Abergavenny
A circular walk, taking in two miles of Offa’s Dyke, will present you with an eagle’s eye view of Victoria and Geoff Neal’s historic hotel and abbey ruins. A hearty meal, not frugal monkish fare, will be served up on your return.
2019 Editor's Choice Walking
Best UK hotels for walking and hiking
The Peacock at Rowsley
Rowsley
Whether exploring the estate around medieval Haddon Hall, or tackling more challenging terrain in the Peak District national park, walkers are in their element at Lord and Lady Manners’s 17th-century hotel. Ask reception for their walks folder.
Farlam Hall
Brampton
Thoughtful route guides to local walks have been compiled by the long-time owners of this manor house hotel near the top of the North Pennines and just three miles from coast-to-coast Hadrian’s Wall Path.
Leathes Head Hotel
Keswick
Guests can order a picnic before setting out from this Edwardian country house hotel, perhaps to follow a waymarked path ten miles around Derwentwater, or to climb to the top of Catbells for panoramic views.
Dunkery Beacon Country House
Wootton Courtenay
From this Edwardian hunting lodge, walkers climb to the top of the eponymous beacon hill, or pick up the Coleridge Way across Exmoor towards Lynmouth or Nether Stowey in the footsteps of the great poet. How romantic is that!
Trevalsa Court
Mevagissey
Steps from the Coastal Path, this friendly small hotel offers a variety of walking and strolling options. Head across country to the Lost Gardens of Heligan – lost no more – and return for a Cornish cream tea.
The Creggans Inn
Strachur
From a stroll along the Loch Fyne shore, to exploring enchanted Puck’s Glen, broad leaf and conifer forests and waterfalls, great walks start at the door of this friendly inn, or are just a short drive away.
Stella Maris
Ballycastle
You pass a blow hole on the walk to the sea stack of Downpatrick Head, topped with the ruins of a church founded by St Patrick. One of many thrilling forays from this hotel on the Wild Atlantic Way.
The Plough
Kelmscott
You can pick up the Thames Path from this welcoming pub-with-rooms in the William Morris heartlands, perhaps to walk to Lechlade, or past a pretty lock- keeper’s cottage, for a crafty pint in The Trout at Tadpole Bridge.
Timberstone
Clee Stanton
Tea and biscuits await Rover’s return to this dog-friendly rural B&B, after a day roaming the blue remembered hills of Shropshire, visiting Ironbridge Gorge, or browsing the specialist food shops in nearby Ludlow.
Bryniau Golau
BALA
You can take a scenic walk around Bala lake, pick up a family or heritage trail, head for hill or mountain, from this lovely Snowdonia B&B. A good breakfast sets you up; drying facilities await your return.
2018 Editor's Choice Walking
Best UK hotels for walking and hiking
The Peacock at Rowsley
Rowsley
Foodies and fishing folk, hikers and bikers flock to this 17th-century manor house in the Peak District national park.
Hazel Bank
Keswick
‘Relaxing’ and ‘luxurious’ are the oft-repeated descriptions of this small country house with captivating fell views, walks from the doorstep and an intimate atmosphere.
The Inn at Whitewell
Clitheroe
On the banks of the River Hodder in the Forest of Bowland, this 'cheerful, doggy' inn is chock-full of tradition, with stone-flagged floors, open fires, oak furniture and walls bedecked with paintings and hunting cartoons.
Porth Tocyn Hotel
Abersoch
This homely, family-friendly hotel, just outside Abersoch, with glorious views of Cardigan Bay, continues to get things right year after year, which is why its loyal guests keep on returning.
Ees Wyke Country House
Ambleside
Richard Lee often greets guests in his chef’s uniform, which sets the tone for this personally run country house with views over Esthwaite Water and fells.
Crossways Hotel
Wilmington
David Stott and Clive James ‘nurture an atmosphere of repose and tranquillity, along with informality and laughter and the friendliest of warm welcomes’ at their restaurant-with-rooms beneath the South Downs.
Tudor Farmhouse
Clearwell
The chocolate-box charm of a centuries-old farmhouse, barn and cider house in flower-filled gardens does not immediately suggest a boutique hotel.
Moor of Rannoch-Restaurant & Rooms
Rannoch Station
Alight from the Caledonian sleeper from London in time for breakfast at Stephanie and Scott Meikle’s dog-friendly restaurant-with-rooms and you find yourself in a wilderness landscape of lochs and lochans.
The Gurnard’s Head
St Ives
'There is a Celtic feel' to Charles and Edmund Inkin's pub and its surrounds, 'with views of the Atlantic and the moors and tors of Penwith', writes a reader on a return visit.
Currarevagh House
Oughterard
With cakes on the sideboard, drinks by the fire, and a gong to summon guests to dinner, Henry and Lucy Hodgson’s Victorian mansion in parkland on Lough Corrib has the atmosphere of a much-loved home.
2017 Editor's Choice Walking
Best UK hotels for walking and hiking
Pen-y-Dyffryn
Oswestry
We never want for glowing reports of this dog-friendly former Georgian rectory, ‘set in a secluded and beautiful valley’, with views to the Welsh hills.
Howtown Hotel
Penrith
Guests were ’intrigued by the old-style hospitality’ of this Ullswater institution, a creeper-covered lakeside farmhouse that maintains the traditions of a bygone age.
Biggin Hall
Buxton
In a beautiful setting in the Peak District, this historic country house offers a homely atmosphere and excellent value for money, which draw guests back year after year.
Tudor Farmhouse
Clearwell
The chocolate-box charm of a centuries-old farmhouse, barn and cider house in flower-filled gardens does not immediately suggest a boutique hotel.
The Felin Fach Griffin
Brecon
Brothers Charles and Edmund Inkin keep a welcome in the vales at their relaxed, brick-red dining pub-with-rooms, amid sheep-grazed pastures, just outside the Brecon Beacons national park.
Moor of Rannoch-Restaurant & Rooms
Rannoch Station
Alight from the Caledonian sleeper from London in time for breakfast at Stephanie and Scott Meikle’s dog-friendly restaurant-with-rooms and you find yourself in a wilderness landscape of lochs and lochans.
Glenfinnan House Hotel
Fort William
Peacefully set beside Loch Shiel, opposite the Glenfinnan Monument and with distant views of Ben Nevis, this handsome country house with tartan fabrics and four-poster bedrooms is a great Highland hideaway.
Dunkery Beacon Country House
Wootton Courtenay
Built at the dawn of the Edwardian era as a men-only hunting lodge, and with views to the eponymous beacon, this smart but unstuffy hotel is an ideal base from which to explore Exmoor.
Boskerris Hotel
St Ives
Panoramic views over the blue waters and Blue Flag beach of Carbis Bay, a cream tea on the terrace, friendly service . . . Although there has been change afoot at this boutique hotel, the good things remain.
Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel
Nant Gwynant
Built in 1810, this ‘eccentric’ hotel at the foot of Snowdonia retains the spirit of a mountaineers’ hostel, along with a wealth of memorabilia commemorating mountaineering’s golden age.
2016 Editor's Choice Walking
Best UK hotels for walking and hiking
Titchwell Manor
Brancaster
With views to the north Norfolk coast and the reed beds and lagoons of Titchwell Marsh RSPB nature reserve nearby, this characterful family-friendly, dog-friendly hotel is set in a Victorian farmhouse.
Underleigh House
Hope
With views to the sheep-dotted fields and hills across the Peak District's Hope valley, a peaceful garden, breakfast feasts and large, pretty bedrooms, it’s no surprise Underleigh wins so much praise.
The Burgoyne
REETH
‘A delight,’ writes one reader this year of Mo and Julia Usman’s Georgian hotel overlooking the green. ‘Fantastic views, cosy comfy atmosphere, exceptional cuisine and service.’
Rambles in Cumbria surrounded by the beauty of the Lake District and exploring the Peak District national park or walking in the Tamar Valley and on Dartmoor, where you may have the privilege of meeting a few wild ponies along the way. Perhaps you will combine your walking holiday with other country pursuits - cycling, fishing, bird-watching and horse riding. Hotels will also go the extra mile, each offering their own unique touches, whether they’re picnics to take out with you, ghillies and guides for local fishing whether you want advice on where to go or tips for beginners.